


carrie.

by kuresoto



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst and Feels, Babies, F/M, Past Character Death, Reylo baby!, Some Fluff, soft fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-22 19:43:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13771191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuresoto/pseuds/kuresoto
Summary: The first week of being a parent was always the hardest.





	carrie.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [punkeraa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/punkeraa/gifts).



> unbeta-d but i hope you enjoy this treat! my sister gave birth recently, so the idea of children isn't so bad to me now.
> 
> prompt: reylo babies

They say that when you become a parent, everything will fall into place naturally, and you’ll just _know_  what to do.

Evidently, the people had who said that never had children of their own, Kylo concluded as he looked down in the cot below. Wrapped safely in a soft cotton wrap slept his daughter; a small pink faced baby with sparse tufts of black hair and dark eyes hidden behind pudgey, closed lids.

They had just put her to sleep, Rey with a weary sigh as she drifted away, massaging her tender breasts. She was still getting used to breastfeeding, both the sensation and how long to feed her child. It had been a stressful week already, neither knowing what to do. Kylo had thought the lead up to the actual birth was bad, not realising how taxing it would be after their daughter was born. What a fool he was.

If they didn’t have such a strong affinity with the Force, or with each other, Kylo wouldn’t know what they would do. Having next to no sleep was not new to them; Rey and Kylo’s respective history, and their Force training, giving them more than experience in that area. But they still had to sleep at one point.

They had decided to take turns, but it never worked out that way. Rey would always crawl out of bed to tend to their daughter, regardless if it was her turn or not. And Kylo being Kylo, he couldn’t leave her to endure sleepless nights alone.

“You should sleep,” Rey had whispered as she rocked the small bundle in her arms. “If I can’t, then one of us should.”

“I can’t just sleep while you stay awake,” he had whispered back, both freezing when their daughter let out a small cry in her sleep. They sighed in relief when their baby remained asleep, her small thumb somehow pulling free from her wrap and popping it into her mouth.

That was four days ago, and Kylo genuinely didn’t know how long they were going to last. Sleep deprivation was becoming a real concern.  

Rey returned after changing into a fresh shirt. “How is she?”

“She’s okay for now,” he replied, turning around to see a wet patch spread over her left breast. “You’re leaking again.”

Rey cursed under her breath and attempted to soak the milk with a tissue, only to wave her hand dismissively a moment later. “Whatever, it’s not going to stop.”

 _Maker_ , he was tired. Not even the sight of Rey’s full breasts dripping milk was doing anything for him. “Rey, try and get some sleep, even if it’s for an hour or so.”

He wasn’t surprised when she seized up a moment later, shoulder tense with her eyes darting to the cot in panic. “But—”

“No buts,” he cut off. He hadn’t carried a child inside him for nine months, and subsequently hadn’t had his hormones wreak havoc on his body. He could feel the tension and the fear from Rey, and put a hand on her shoulder, fingers massaging neck reassuringly. “Try, please. I don’t think she’ll wake up and you need to sleep before her next feed.”

Rey tried to argue again, but gave up after Kylo gently guided her to their bedroom. She was too tired to resist, and fell into bed before she knew what was happening.

Alone with his daughter, Kylo gazed down at the sleeping babe. “You’re going to be a trouble maker, aren’t you?” he whispered, standing perfectly still, too afraid that any sudden movements would wake her up.

It was for naught as a second later, small eyes opened weakly and looked up at him, blinking slowly as if to shake off the sleep that remained. _Shit_.

“Shhh,” Kylo hushed, gently rocking the cot and praying she went back to sleep. When it was evident that she was not, Kylo’s shoulders sunk in defeat and lifted her out of the cot, placing her on the baby table next to him. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” he asked as he unwrapped her swaddle.

He expected her to cry, her eyes to scrunch up and wake Rey from her much needed rest, but it never came. She continued to look up at him with wide eyes, curiosity glimmering in her dark brown orbs. He frowned, not sure what to do and proceeded to fix her wrap, tucking all her small limbs back into the soft cloth. The cocooned baby let out a gurgle and tried to get out of her bindings again. “No, please—!”

His daughter stopped moving and looked at him again, blinking. He reluctantly slipped her arms from the swaddle once more and played with them, guiding her small limbs up to her nose. “Boop!” His daughter let out a laugh and clumsily thumped her hands in his large ones, wanting to play more.

He didn’t know how much time passed, but eventually her eyes started to droop and before he knew it, she had fallen asleep in the middle of playing. With a small chuckle, he wrapped her up in her cloth again and gently lowered her into her cot once more, leaving a kiss on her fine-haired crown before doing so. He caressed his daughter’s cheek, the baby turning in her sleep so his finger squished against her cheek.

He looked at the time, taking note that only thirty minutes had passed. With both his wife and daughter finally asleep, he settled into the plush chair Rey used for breastfeeding, and watched his daughter sleep. Who knew someone so small could change their lives so much?

As he rocked back and forth, his tired eyes fell on the fine Aurebesh words engraved on the side of the cot. He snorted softly, amused that Rey had actually agreed to name her after a bad pun he had said in the heat of the moment.

Baby still coated in blood and tissue, Rey had held her baby close to her chest, tears streaming down her face as she said hello to her newborn child. “You’re amazing, you’re amazing,” she cooed repeatedly. “I love you so much.” She had tilted her head up and beckoned Kylo to come closer. “Look at her, Ben. It’s our daughter! She’s so precious,” she crowed through her waterlogged voice. “It doesn’t even feel like I carried her for nine months.”

“We should name her Carrie, since she’s going to be carrying us through each day,” Kylo had joked, knowing that his wife and daughter was the only thing that carried him through the galaxy and the complicated politics he was involved in.

Rey had stared at him for a full minute before nodding profusely. Before he could take it back, everyone started referring to his child as Carrie, and that was that.

Kylo smiled at the memory, hauling himself from the armchair to stroke the Aurebesh letters carved into the smooth wood. Considering their first week as a parent, he couldn’t think of a better name for his daughter.

He felt something move behind him and didn’t need to turn around to know it wasn’t Rey; he could still hear his wife’s soft snores from the other room. No, he knew exactly who was standing behind him.

“She has your nose,” he commented without lifting his head.

The figure came to stand next to the cot, a blueish green illumination falling over the slumbering child. “Hi Carrie, it’s me. Your grandmother,” Leia murmured. She braced herself against the cot and leaned in to press a kiss on Carrie’s forehead, palm pressed against the words _Carrie Leia Solo._ “Hopefully, you’ll be easier to handle than your father,” she joked, as she threw her son a cheeky grin, only to become somber at his anguished face. “She’s beautiful. I’m glad I could meet her.”

“So am I,” he said, voice thick with unshed tears.

“It’ll be fine,” Leia said, cupping his cheek. “It’ll be fine,” she repeated once more before fading away.

Hand pressed against his cheek where his mother's hand just was, he watched his sleeping daughter with a sad smile, still able to feel Leia's touch. 


End file.
